HLA alleles and haplotype frequencies in Iranian population

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Ghafouri-Fard, Soudeh^{a; 1} | Hussen, Bahdar Mahmud^{b; c; 1} | Pashmforoush, Sara^d | Akbari, Mohammad Taghi^e | Arsang-Jang, Shahram^f | Nazer, Naghme^g | Hamidieh, Amir Ali^h | Hajifathali, Abbasⁱ | Dinger, Marcel E.^j | Sayad, Arezou^{a; k; *} | Dehaghi, Mohammadreza Ostadali^{l; m; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran | [b] Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq | [c] Center of Research and Strategic Studies, Lebanese French University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq | [d] Department of Biological Sciences, Kharazmi University, Karaj, Iran | [e] Tehran Medical Genetics Laboratory, Tehran, Iran | [f] Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cancer Gene Therapy Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran | [g] Department of Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran | [h] Pediatric Cell Therapy Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran | [i] Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran | [j] School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia | [k] Dental Research Center, Research Institute for Dental Sciences, Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran | [l] Cell Therapy and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran | [m] Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding authors: Arezou Sayad, School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia. E-mail: ar.sayad@yahoo.com. Mohammadreza Ostadali Dehaghi, Dental Research Center, Research Institute for Dental Sciences, Dental School, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: ostadali@sina.tums.ac.ir.

Note: [1] The first two authors contributed equally.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: HLA genotyping is a prerequisite for selection of suitable donors in the process of bone marrow transplantation. METHODS: In the current study, the frequencies of HLA-A, -B, -C and -DRB1 alleles and A-B-C-DRB1 haplotypes were assessed in 855 healthy Iranian persons using a low-resolution sequence specific primer (SSP) kit. RESULTS: Frequencies were compared between 11 subpopulations including Armani, Balouch, Bandari, Turk, Turkaman, Arab, Fars, Kurd, Gilaki, Lor and Mazani. In total, 17 HLA-A alleles were detected, one of which (HLA-A*74) was present only among Lors. HLA-A*23 and -A*26 were the most frequent HLA-A alleles among Armanis. HLA-A*23 was also common among Turkamans. HLA-A*11 and -A*26 were most frequent among the Balouch subpopulation. The former allele was also frequent among Bandaris. HLA-A*02 was identified as the most common HLA-A allele among Turk, Arab and Fars subpopulations. HLA-A*30 were strongly enriched among Gilakis. A total of 31 HLA-B alleles were detected across the target population. While all alleles were present among Fars subgroup, Armanis and Turkamans had the lowest degree of diversity among the alleles examined. Moreover, HLA-B*35 and B*49 alleles were strongly enriched among Armanis and Turkamans, respectively. A total of 13 HLA-C alleles were identified across the population, all of which were present in the Fars subpopulation. HLA-C*03 and C*04 were the only HLA-C alleles identified among the Bandari subpopulation. HLA-DRB1*08 was not detected in any subpopulation other than Fars. HLA-DRB1*16 was significantly enriched among Bandaris. These data have practical significance in anthropological studies, disease association investigations and bone marrow transplantation.

Keywords: HLA, normal population, Iran, bone marrow transplantation

DOI: 10.3233/HAB-220004

Journal: Human Antibodies, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 79-96, 2022